Predator
by bionic4ever
Summary: TEotR2: Something horrible happens during one of Jaime's jungle survival courses. Is there a poacher in the jungle, or is one of her students to blame? Dedicated to the members of The Bionic Project with special thanks to Julie.
1. Prologue

**PREDATOR**

Prologue

"That's it," Jaime said briskly. "You have everything you need." She smiled reassuringly at the three rather nervous-looking men who were in her charge. "My best advice is to set up here, then split in three directions – make sure you mark your trails – and scout out whatever supplies you think you'll need. Water would be a great start."

"But how -?"

"I've told you everything you need to know for your first night." Her smile turned to a mischievous grin. "I'll see you in the morning, bright and early."

While they were still stunned into silence (she wasn't _really_ leaving them there...was she?), Jaime turned on her heels and jogged off into the depths of the rainforest she had come to know so well. Once she'd passed completely out of their line of vision, she broke into an easy run, savoring the 'green' scent of the earth and its foliage and heading back toward her house.

Jaime truly had the best of both worlds. She was flourishing in her new role as a survival trainer and flew back to the States between sessions – to visit, catch up on 'real life' and (of course) attend her 10,000 mile check-ups – so loneliness and boredom were never a problem. She had flat-out refused Oscar and Rudy's request to put a phone in at her house (unwilling to run the lines through and 'corrupt the jungle'), but she'd ultimately agreed to having the very latest in OSI radio communication installed...just in case of emergencies.

This was her third group of survival trainees, and – aside from their initial nervousness, which was only natural – she felt they'd be her best group yet. There was Ted Chaswick (OSI), in his early thirties and bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Marlboro Man. He'd been a street-level operative for several years and was being groomed now for overseas responsibilities. Frank Rutherford (CIA) was a few years older than Ted, and had already worked several overseas assignments as well as countless missions within the States. He had the hefty build of a mountain-climber and a little too much skepticism for Jaime's tastes, but she was confident that his attitude would be gone soon enough. He was in Jaime's program because he was being considered for an inter-agency transfer. James Orland was the newbie of the group. He was tall, blond and (at age 25) still bean-pole thin. He was one of Oscar's more recent hires but had graduated in the top ten percent of his class at Harvard and was expected to rise very quickly through the ranks at the OSI.

Jaime paused for a moment just before the river, when her ear picked up quiet but steady foot-falls somewhere within a nearby patch of trees. The sound was too sure-footed to be one of her new students (and too light, as well, unless they were navigating on tiptoes). Could it be...a jaguar? She knew the big cats were more likely to be found on the other side of the river, where the foliage was much thicker, but anything was possible. If a human could cross the river, then a jaguar certainly could, as well. Jaime made a mental note to keep her ear tuned for signs of trouble at the survival camp (which she pretty much made a habit of anyhow), and she slowly made her way across the water. She had just reached the other side and was about to head up the bank and across the tall grass toward her house when she heard the gunshot...and her leg collapsed beneath her.

- - - - -


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jaime pressed herself flat against the ground, waiting for the expected barrage of bullets...but the jungle had grown strangely quiet. Even the Whistling Ducks had been startled into complete silence. She heard one more gunshot, this one seemingly further away and in the opposite direction, and cautiously she scrambled to her feet. Her leg shook slightly as she put weight on it, but it held steady so she made her way up toward the house.

_The door was open!_ Was someone waiting inside – perhaps an ambush? Her only options were to get to the radio...or to go miles through the jungle and down the road to the closest phone. Making her choice instinctively, Jaime picked up a small log in her left hand and a decent-sized rock in her right – and headed through the door. Aside from a monkey in the bedroom (that shrieked and ran upon being discovered), Jaime found herself alone. The radio equipment, in a locked chest beside the bed, was undisturbed. In fact, nothing appeared to have been stolen or even rifled through. She doubted the monkey had opened the door itself...so what had an intruder been doing in her house?

She sat on the bed and attempted to collect herself before radioing for help. When she took her first look at the damaged leg, Jaime sighed with relief. The bullet had winged it pretty hard (and done a noticeable bit of damage) but it had not lodged in the circuitry. The force of the shot had knocked the leg out from under her, but she could still walk, bend her knee and wiggle her toes. Everything seemed to be worked properly. She unlocked the chest and keyed up the radio.

"Jaime?" Russ answered almost immediately. "How are you?"

"I need you to get Oscar for me," she said very calmly. "I've been shot."

Oscar's voice crackled over the line within what seemed like seconds. "Jaime? Who shot you? We'll send Rudy and an extraction team down to -"

"Relax," Jaime told him. "It's not serious; it's a little hole in my leg, just above the knee. And I was shot...but I don't think I was shot _AT_."

"I'm not following you," Oscar countered.

Nightmares of several branches of the US Armed Services storming the jungle to cart her to safety flashed briefly through Jaime's head. "I'm pretty sure I heard a jaguar – or some kind of big cat – just before the shot," she explained, trying to reassure her boss that the Cavalry was not required. "It was probably just a poacher. Which is still a big deal, and they better hope I don't catch them out there...but really, everything's okay. I can walk – probably even run if I have to! Rudy can patch it up the next time I see him; not to worry."

"Jaime, I would really prefer -"

"Look, I knew I had to call you since a shot was fired. But I'm okay...and I have to go check on my 'students' now."

"Jaime, listen -"

"Gotta go, Oscar. I'll call you back later, okay? As soon as I know the guys are all safe." She could still hear him protesting as she clicked the radio off.

In spite of her assurances to Oscar, Jaime wasn't entirely sure what (if any) new danger might be waiting back in the rainforest across the river but what worried her the most was the responsibility she held for the three men she'd just dropped off to fend for themselves. She changed into a new pair of pants (minus the bullet hole in the old pair) and stepped back outside.

She moved quickly but stealthily across the river and through the maze of trees, ferns and foliage until she reached the small clearing where she'd left her charges. Ted sat alone on a rock, stiffly stoking a small campfire. Jaime was impressed. If he'd heard the shot, he'd kept his head and still managed to do what initially needed to be done. (There was even a nice ring of rocks to safely surround his fire.)

"Good work," she told him brightly as she strode into the 'camp'. "Fire is the first necessity. Without it, you can't boil water or -"

"What the hell happened out there?" Ted asked. He didn't sound annoyed or nervous...merely curious.

"Did you see anything?" Jaime probed.

"No – but I heard a couple of shots. The second one sounded pretty close."

"Where are the others? Have you seen them?"

"James is looking for fruits and nuts – or maybe he IS fruits and nuts – and Frank, I think, is getting water. By the way, we found the pot and the jug you left for us. Nice touch, letting us think we'd have to hollow out coconuts to boil water in. We almost did that, too."

"Yeah, well, I gotta keep you on your toes," Jaime told him. "So...what makes you say that about James?"

"Huh?"

"You called him nuts...?"

"Ah...he's just...well, he's young."

"Top of his class at Harvard, though – one of the brightest," Jaime pointed out.

"So I've heard."

"Jealous, are you?" she ribbed (wondering to herself what the _real_ story was).

"Nah...we're all young once. He'll grow into his potential. I suppose."

"Well, that's very kind of you." Jaime had not yet formed an opinion about Ted – and this didn't help. He either had a sarcastic, somewhat sly sense of humor (which was something like her own) or he was one of the rudest, most boorish men she'd ever met.

Frank made camp next, lugging the jug which was now heavy with water. He poured it into the pot and placed it in the middle of the fire. "Mission accomplished," he announced, seating himself heavily on the moss. "By the way, did I hear gunfire?"

"Yeah, I think you did," Jaime acknowledged. "Did you see anything?"

"Nope. Sounded too far away, so I just kept doin' what I was doin'. And here I am."

"Great work," Jaime affirmed.

"Hey – I worked, too!" James called, emerging from the trees and juggling several large papayas as he walked. He set the fruit down on the ground and emptied his pockets, which were full of cashews. "Let's eat!" he said cheerfully.

- - - - -


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Keep your eyes open for the big cats," Jaime warned the three men. "And for the poachers that go after them. They're more dangerous than their prey - and more common, unfortunately." With a promise to check in on them later (the gunshots had changed her curriculum just slightly) and with fresh insight into each of her students' characters, Jaime bid them goodbye and left them once again for home and her own dinner. As she cut her already-cooked chicken breast into strips to top her salad, she reflected on each man's strengths...and weaknesses.

Frank, for all of his blustering skepticism at the beginning, was digging in and getting the job done, exactly as expected. Maybe his early success (at finding water) had shown him that this wasn't such a godawful place or as much of an imposition on his time as he'd originally thought. Still, with that much field experience already under his belt, any old habits or misconceived notions would be hard for him to shed now.

James was the polar opposite: little to no field experience – a clean slate and an exuberance that allowed new ideas to not only take root but also to flourish. Surprisingly young for the position he'd been placed in, he was undeterred by the doubts of others and (so far) seemed able to remain cheerful under the worst of conditions. He also showed a keen natural intelligence without the superior attitude that often went with it. But was enthusiasm and intelligence enough?

Ted...worried her. He had gotten so much done in that short span of time! Jaime wondered why, exactly, he needed survival training. Then again, she thought, maybe he'd built lots of campfires as a Boy Scout and the rest of the course would be his ultimate test. He seemed just a bit too sure of himself – almost cocky. Being self-assured could certainly be an asset but in the jungle (very much as in life itself) over-confidence at the wrong time could be fatal.

After dinner, Jaime stepped outside and took a better look around the house. There were no boot prints or footprints that she could see..and no jaguar prints, either. A monkey (probably the same one who'd come in for a visit earlier) sat in the middle of the grass and gave her a curious look without running away. Jaime smiled; he was getting used to her. Then, as she listened carefully for any signs of trouble from the rainforest, her ear picked up a low, persistent buzzing sound – coming from inside her house. The radio – she'd forgotten her promise to call Oscar. _Well,_ she reasoned, _I said I'd call him later. It certainly is later._

She sat down on the bed, sighed and opened the chest. The radio continued to buzz, its lights flashing a demand to speak with her, until she keyed up the button.

"I'm here, Oscar...I'm sorry," she said into the mic.

"Hold on, Jaime," Russ answered (very quickly), "I'll get him."

"Russ – wait! Is he...mad?"

"Mad? No. Worried – extremely. And here he is."

"Jaime?" Oscar's voice sounded tense...and very tired. "What happened? I've been trying to reach you!"

"I know – and I'm sorry. I went to check on the class. They're all okay. They didn't see anything unusual, but at least two of them heard the shots."

"Shots? I knew about one shot!" Oscar blustered. "Just how many -?"

"Two," Jaime admitted. "But one was in the other direction. At least, I think it was."

"I'm sending a team down there tomorrow to investigate."

"No, Oscar – I don't really think you need to. I'm pretty sure it was a poacher, but if it wasn't...I've got a lot of time on my hands – even with the class here – I can look into it. We'll be fine; I promise."

"Jaime -"

"Please let me handle this. If I think I need help, I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Like I was the first to know there were two shots?" Oscar fired back.

Jaime decided it was better not to mention having found her door open earlier. (Besides, maybe the monkey really _did_ open it himself...) "Oscar, I swear to you, if this escalates at all -"

"You'll call me immediately," he finished for her. "Consider that an order, Jaime."

"I know."

"Oh – and Rudy will be there in the morning to look at your leg."

"But it isn't that bad!" Jaime protested. "Tell him that -"

Oscar cut him off. "He's already on his way. Steve is flying him down."

"Terrific..." Jaime mumbled. "Look, I'm gonna go check on the guys one more time before I turn in for the night. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

She keyed off without waiting for a response. Irritated, she muttered to herself as she puttered around the house (since it wasn't really quite time to check back with the camp yet). _If it was Steve down here with a tiny little hole in his leg, would Oscar still be sending Rudy? Ha! Does he really doubt my judgment that much?_ (She was conveniently forgetting that, very recently, she'd neglected to call for help when she'd needed it..and had nearly died.) _I am perfectly capable of handling this situation! I don't need Rudy...I'd be back up there in another week or two! And I certainly don't need Steve or anyone else to fly down and bail me out! Grrrr...!"_

Still grumbling and growling a little beneath her breath, Jaime grabbed a banana from the kitchen area and, stepping outside, handed it to the little monkey who seemed like he was beginning to adopt her.

- - - - -


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jaime wondered briefly if maybe she shouldn't have let the three men know she was coming back. Surprise inspections worked wonders for the military; she decided to sneak up on the 'camp' as quietly as possible, both to be able to hear what they might be talking about and to see if any of them were alert enough to note her presence. _With a suspected poacher on the loose, they'd darn well __**better**__ be alert!_ she told herself. She felt slightly guilty for not moving the men to safety upon hearing the shots, but neither shot was in the direction of the camp and poachers were an unfortunate fact of life in the environment she'd been charged with teaching them how to survive. No point in sugar-coating it or side-stepping around it.

She waded across the river at its lowest point (ignoring the piranhas since they had no interest in her feet or ankles) and headed into the rainforest. When she reached the first cashew tree, she stopped to pick a cashew apple. They were one of her new favorite fruits and since their skins were too fragile to transport even a short distance, she usually stopped for one whenever she passed the tree. She noted that many of the lower-hanging cashew apples had been culled for their nuts; someone had harvested cashews here, and quite recently.

She turned to go, then stepped back toward the tree for just one more apple. (Why not – they were _so_ good!) As she reached up to pluck her prize from the branch, Jaime stumbled over what she thought was a root or a stray log but when she looked down and brushed the fallen leaves away...it was a gun! Poachers kept their guns with them in case opportunity struck; they did _not_ leave them hidden in the forest! It was time to evacuate her camp...and question her students.

Jaime wrapped the weapon in a large leaf, picked it up and took it back across the river to her house. Steve could have a look at it in the morning and then take it back to DC for analysis, she reasoned. It was a good thing he was coming, after all – guns were definitely not her strong suit. She placed it out of sight in a kitchen cupboard and started out again toward the camp. The little monkey followed her halfway down to the river and surprised Jaime by allowing her to touch his head before she stepped into the water.

"Keep this up, Buddy, and I just might have to name you," she said, smiling (and grateful for even this slight break in the tension).

She didn't hear any voices coming from the camp area as she silently moved closer. (Were they alright? Were they asleep already?) The little campfire was unattended...and had gone out. The men had managed to build a small, makeshift lean-to out of sticks and ferns...but it was empty.

_There was no one in the camp._ The worst possible thing they could've done was to head out into unfamiliar territory in the dark! Had she told them that? Of course, she had. Jaime kicked at the center of the fire pit and the force of her bionic boot-stroke against the nearly dead embers brought them flickering reluctantly back to life.

"Hey!" a calm, easy voice called from behind her, "I was just about to take care of that...but thanks." Ted ambled his way into camp with an armful of twigs and sticks.

"Where were you?" Jaime demanded. "And where are the others? Do you know how dangerous -"

"Relax. They didn't go far."

"I _told_ you to stay put after dark!"

"Yeah, you said not to 'wander off at night when we didn't know where we were going' – right? Well, we thought it might be nice to have breakfast ready and waiting in the morning, so we each went in the exact same paths we took earlier – for wood, water and food. So...no harm done, right, Teach?" He smiled what he must have thought was his most charming smile, and while it might have worked on most of the women he'd met in Washington, Jaime was less than impressed.

"Look, I need to find the others and get them back here fast. Do you think you can stay put in the meantime?" she asked.

"What's going on?"

"I need to evacuate the camp," she stated. "Tonight. As soon as possible."

"Why? Don't you think we can handle it?"

"I don't have time right now. Just _stay here!_"

Jaime moved quickly through the ferns and into the grove of trees, breaking into a run as soon as she was out of Ted's sight. She headed first toward the water source, slowing her pace as she heard Frank's footsteps approaching.

"I need you to go back to the camp," she told him firmly, "and stay there until I get back."

Frank had been an Intelligence man long enough to recognize the quiet urgency in her command, and obeyed without question. Jaime made a sharp turn and ran toward the cashew tree where she'd enjoyed the apples not long before – the same cashew tree where she'd found the gun. James turned when he heard her coming, even before he could see her.

"I'm almost done," he called to Jaime.

"Just keep what you have and stop now. We need to go back to camp. I'll explain when we get there."

When all three men were finally gathered in the same place, they looked expectantly at Jaime. "I'm evacuating the camp," she told them. She knew she had to give them a reason, but was also aware that this was now an active investigation...and these men could quite possibly be suspects. She couldn't exactly lay all the cards on the table. "I've received reports that a group of poachers have moved into this area and have already wounded several civilians."

"Isn't that what we're here for?" Ted asked. "To learn to survive the rigors of the jungle?"

"Do _not_ argue with me! Sometimes survival means knowing when to retreat for your own protection. You'll sleep on mats in my living room tonight and tomorrow we'll figure out our next move." She turned in the direction of her house without waiting for any further responses from her charges. "Let's go!" she called over her shoulder.

Jaime found the front door open again – and the little monkey waiting for her inside. She'd almost convinced herself the animal really _could_ open the door – and there was nothing to worry about – until she saw the open kitchen cupboard.

_The gun was gone._

- - - - -


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jaime made sure the men got settled in at least semi-comfortably on their mats before retiring to her room. She told them – firmly – not to leave the house under any circumstances but at this point she knew the instruction was possibly only wasted breath. Well, Rudy had told her more than once that she needed less sleep than 'normal' people – tonight, she'd have to make do with none.

She wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway. Jaime knew she should keep Oscar updated, but the radio system they'd constructed for her was not portable – not even with bionics. Its equipment was looped out the window of Jaime's bedroom and moving from where it sat would destroy the connection entirely. She didn't dare transmit her suspicions without a bedroom door to keep her from being overheard. She _did_ have a datacom...but would it be able to reach Washington? _Not bloody likely,_ she mumbled to herself. Still, once she was sure the men were asleep, she took the device outside and keyed it up.

"Oscar...Russ? Can anybody hear me? Steve?"

Nothing. Not a crackle, not a sound. It would come in handy in the morning, when she and Steve could use it to communicate (because of course, he'd have one of his own) – but for tonight, it was a dead metal box.

Jaime's ear picked up some sort of movement in the house, and she tensed until she realized it was just one of the men rolling over in his sleep. Once he hit his back, he began to snore softly, and Jaime relaxed...just a little. It was strange how quickly the men had fallen asleep; there'd been almost no conversation between them. Then again, she thought, they had very little in common other than their current (or potential) employer. Even that connection was tenuous between them. Ted had been OSI for years, Frank was just transferring in and James was still wet behind the ears. After just a few minutes worth of chatter about the aesthetic value of their instructor's legs (which Jaime chose to ignore) and a general consensus that she'd over-reacted in evacuating them, they'd had nothing more to say.

She turned to go back into the house and was startled by a tug on her pant leg. Of course, it was the little monkey – and Jaime had to smile in spite of everything going on. "You want a name, don't you?" she chuckled. "Okay...how about Alfred?" The little monkey squealed at her. "I guess you approve," she added. "Alright, Alfred, I can't bring you inside, but you should be playing with your little friends anyhow. You can come visit me tomorrow...okay?" She could've sworn the monkey actually looked sad as she went back into the house without him.

- - -

When the sun was barely beginning to come up, the datacom finally proved its worth. Jaime went back outside and (after handing a banana to Alfred), keyed up the device on OSI frequency. She crossed her fingers as static came across the line...and then a voice.

"Jaime?"

"Steve? Oh, I'm so glad you can hear me! Um...you _can_ hear me, right?"

"You're fuzzy, but I can hear you. What's wrong?" Steve had called Oscar upon arriving in Lima, and so he knew Jaime hadn't been happy that they were coming to assist her. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, a LOT of somethings, but...are you still in Lima?"

"We just left. Why?"

"I need you to go back and get a couple of Interpol officers – or at least the Peruvian National Police. But bring somebody – a couple of somebodies – with badges because I need my students placed in Protective Custody...for questioning."

"We're turning around now," Steve affirmed a few moments later. "What's going on, Sweetheart?"

"I don't know...but I'm pretty sure it involves at least one of my students – and they have a gun. I mean, I found a gun but then it disappeared, and..." she broke off mid-sentence when she thought she heard rustling in the jungle behind the house. Was it Alfred's family, looking for him – or footsteps? But then there was only silence.

"Jaime," Steve said urgently, "are you alright?"

"Yeah. My leg doesn't hurt or anything. I mean it couldn't...right?" She knew she was babbling, but the words just seemed to keep coming. (It was such a relief to hear a friendly voice and to know help was on the way!) "I can even run on it. I did run on it. It's just a little hole, really..."

"And you're keeping it covered?"

"None of my students are level six, so yeah...I'm keeping it covered. How long do you think it'll take you to -"

The front door of the house suddenly flew open and James burst outside, a wild, panicked look in his eyes. "Jaime! Miss Sommers...they're gone!" he said breathlessly.

"Who?" Jaime's sinking stomach already knew the answer, but she kept the datacom keyed up so Steve could hear what was happening.

"Frank and Ted! They pried open the window and ran off! I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't even answer me! They shoved me out of the way and they left. I – I'm sorry..."

"Steve," Jaime said into the datacom, "you need to _hurry._"

- - - - -


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Jaime had a vital decision to make – and no time whatsoever to make it in. Was James telling the truth? Did Frank and Ted run because they knew she was calling for help...or because James had forced them to go? Should she stay with the man standing in front of her, seemingly eager to help, or take off at bionic speed through the jungle in search of the others?

_Well, a bird in the hand is worth two in the jungle..._ Jaime reasoned. She couldn't exactly drag James along with her at the speed she'd have been going, and refused to lose sight of the one man she still had with her. So, whether he was guilty or innocent, for now she'd have to stay with the newbie. It would be about two hours before help arrived – or an hour and some change, knowing Steve.

"I'm gonna need your help," she told James. "Which window did they leave from, and which way did they go?"

"Your bedroom, and they went straight into the thick of it out there, so I couldn't see where they went...I'm sorry." He looked down at the ground for a moment. "But we could try and follow the broken vines!"

Jaime smiled. "Exactly. Let's go."

There was very little of a trail to follow. Jaime wasn't certain if they were seeing the tangled vines and broken leaves that two grown men had passed through...or if the trail was one made by the monkeys. Everything was so overgrown that it seemed to spring right back into place to instantly fill any holes in the foliage. Where Ted and Frank had gone was anybody's guess. If they had gone toward the road (and the market), they'd arrive there around the same time as Steve and Rudy – and would hopefully be spotted. If, on the other hand, they were trying to hide, there was precious little chance of finding them in the depths of the jungle. They were likely to find a hungry jaguar or a bed of venomous snakes first.

After a little more than half an hour of tracking nothing, Jaime took a sharp turn in the direction of the road. James followed her silently, looking pale and (in Jaime's opinion) a bit frightened. When he tripped over the roots of the big old Kapok tree and several dozen rudely awakened bats fluttered angrily away, some skimming his hair as they went, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"We'd better start heading back," Jaime told him, to James' obvious relief. "You didn't really wanna come here – to take this course – did you?" she asked, as casually as possible.

"Well, I want to do the best job I can for Mr. Goldman, and he feels that -"

"James!"

"No...I didn't," he admitted softly. "I hate the piranhas, the snakes...and especially the bats. I thought I could desensitize myself, but..."

"If it's any consolation," Jaime told him, "I hate snakes, too. But I've learned that if you watch your step and keep a sharp eye open for what's ahead of you – and above you – they aren't gonna bother you. The piranhas...well, just cross the water as fast as you can, at a point where you can see to the bottom."

"And the bats? I know there are vampire bats in the jungle," James said with a shudder.

Jaime turned and gave him her most reassuring smile. "Those bats you just saw..._probably_ not the vampire kind."

"I feel so much better," he said (rather unconvincingly).

"If the course continues, maybe I can help you feel a little safer out here," Jaime promised. "Then again, you could go on assignments for years and never once have to go to the jungle, so -"

James nodded, and they continued on in silence. When they had just about reached the clearing (and the house), Jaime stopped. "They're coming – already!" Even for Steve, this had to be a new speed record.

"I don't hear anything."

"Trust me." She stepped back beside James, both to support and reassure him – and to ensure that he didn't try to run. "We're over here!" Jaime called when Steve got a little closer, so he'd stop using his arm as a battering ram and slow to a semi-normal speed before bursting out of the jungle.

Indeed, he took her cue, even managing to pretend to be out of breath from exertion. Steve looked from Jaime to James and back again. "The others?" he asked.

Jaime shook her head. "If they'd crossed the river, I probably could've tracked them, but behind the house, the jungle's just too deep."

Steve stepped away from James and toward the river, motioning slightly with his head for Jaime to follow. "Is he...?" Steve whispered, too softly for James to hear.

"I don't know," Jaime answered. "He's not much of a jungle person, though."

"Well, neither am I," Steve retorted.

Jaime turned to glance across the river and Steve was looking at Jaime (for the briefest of minutes) and when they turned around, James was running toward the back of the house.

"James, wait!" Jaime called.

"I hear something!" he insisted.

Steve and Jaime turned to follow – and Jaime's foot caught on a rock that sent her sliding into the waist-deep water. Steve lifted her out immediately, but they both heard the sizzle of moisture hitting bare wire.

"Miss Sommers – Jaime! Help!" James called from behind the house. There was a heavy rustle in the branches...then a gunshot...then...

_Silence._

- - - - -


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The silence was broken by heavy footfalls crashing through the jungle behind the house. Someone was already getting too much of a head start! _Where was Interpol?_ As if on cue, the duo summoned by Steve and Rudy appeared through the trees and headed straight toward the direction of the gunshot, armed with machetes in hand and guns in their waistbands. Steve had to hold a struggling Jaime back from following them.

"Steve, we have to go after them!" Jaime protested, swinging her legs to try and launch herself out of his arms and back to terra firma.

"_I'll_ go," Steve insisted, setting her down gently in the grass in front of the house. "You wait right here for Rudy."

"He's MY student! They all are – I'm responsible for them!"

"And as soon as Rudy clears you, you can help me search," Steve called over his shoulder, already halfway behind the house.

"SCREeeee!" chimed the little voice beside her.

"Hiya, Alfred," Jaime said softly. She patted the monkey's head then started to rise to her feet – and cursed out loud as her damaged leg shook and wobbled beneath her.

"SCREEEEEEEEEE!" Alfred chided, hopping up and down and swinging his limbs wildly.

"Yeah," Jaime sighed, "you're right. I'll sit down."

* * *

"Not good enough!" Oscar fumed, slamming the three file folders down onto his desk. "I know all of this! Hell, I _wrote_ most of it!"

"Oscar..." Russ stammered, his face paling. "You asked for all the information we had on these three – and this is what we have."

"Then get me what the FBI has – and the CIA. Get Jack Hansen on this if you have to, but I need _everything!_ And I need it yesterday!"

"I – I'll do what I can," Russ promised, grateful for the opportunity to leave the office. Oscar had been tense ever since he'd learned Jaime had been shot, and when Steve called to tell him that all three men were now suspects (and two of them were missing), Oscar went on his own version of a rampage.

The truth was, he felt responsible. He had hand-picked these three men for Jaime's program and inadvertently put Jaime directly in harm's way. His first instinct (after Steve's phone call) had been to jump on the first plane he could get his hands on and fly straight down to Lima himself, but while he was an extraordinary talent in the field, his true calling was in organizing every aspect of an investigation. The information-gathering and split-second decision-making were his forte. Oscar knew he'd be the most help to Jaime (and to the others) by staying exactly where he was.

* * *

"Screee! SCREEEEEE!"

Alfred was staring off into the distance, in the direction of the road. There, where the foliage cleared and the flat, dense grass began...stood Rudy. He shook his head sadly, obviously having just witnessed Jaime's attempt to stand up. As he came closer, he saw that her pant legs were wet and his heart sank. This was a problem. Hopefully, he could repair the damage with the parts and equipment that were stashed in a locked crate in the back of Jaime's closet; she wouldn't take well to being forced back to the States while her students were in trouble.

"I fell in the river," Jaime told him.

"I see that. Let's get you inside and see exactly what we're dealing with." Rudy bent down and helped Jaime to her feet with a firm arm around her waist. Together, they made their way into the house with Alfred trailing close behind, clucking with worry.

"He's sort of...adopted me," Jaime explained. She sat down on her bed and quickly changed into shorts so Rudy could get a look at the damage.

The doctor shook his head as he examined the hole in her leg. "Not good, but not devastating. You've fried several of the circuits and shorted the surrounding wires. And -"

"Rudy, I really need just a quick patch job for now," Jaime insisted. "I've gotta help Steve find the guys. I – we – heard another shot."

"I don't want you going _anywhere_ until I repair this, Honey. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so..."

"Rudy, _please!_ Can't you jury-rig it...just temporarily?"

"You are NOT going out into the jungle with a jury-rigged leg, Young Lady. Period."

"But -"

"NO." His voice softened, just a little. "If I let you do that and you ran into problems, you might not be able to fight your way out in time...or to run away, if need be. Technically, it's do-able, but in this environment – and especially with what's been going on - it's just too risky. Let Steve and the others handle it."

Alfred squealed again as Steve came barreling in the front door. "Jaime?" he called.

"We're in here," Rudy answered for a sulking Jaime.

"We've got trouble," Steve announced from the doorway.

"I know!" Jaime retorted. "And he won't let me help! Steve, tell him I am perfectly capable -"

"I mean we've got really _big_ trouble. I wasn't even very far into the vines...and I found blood. A _lot_ of blood. I went out in every direction, but I couldn't find a trace of anyone. It's like they disappeared – or the jungle swallowed them."

Jaime turned to look pointedly at Rudy. "I'll get started on that jury-rig," he sighed. "But I don't like it..."

- - - - - 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Rudy, I'm not trying to be difficult – really, I'm not," Jaime told the doctor as he began splicing new wires in place to bridge the damaged circuits in her leg.

"I know, Honey," Rudy answered softly. "You know this part of the jungle better than the rest of us put together and -"

"And I'm responsible for my students!"

"Exactly. Just the way I'm responsible for _you_. I'm sending you out there with a partially repaired leg, and if anything happens..."

"I'll keep an eye on her, Rudy," Steve promised.

"And _I'll_ keep an eye on _him_!" Jaime added. Her eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Steve...where is Interpol? Please tell me they came back here with you...?"

"They...uh...sort of took off on their own," Steve admitted. "But they're from Lima; I'm sure they'll be okay."

Jaime shook her head. "Being from Lima does _not_ mean they're jungle-trained!"

"I couldn't exactly stop them."

"I know. I just hope we're not looking for five men now, instead of three..."

"Alright, Honey," Rudy said, affixing a temporary patch over his temporary repair. "You're good to go – _for now_ - and with extreme caution. You push yourself too hard, and this leg could still go out from underneath you."

"Thank you," Jaime told him, kissing the doctor's cheek as she rose to her feet. "Feels better. I can work with this." She motioned the two men out of the room so she could change back into long pants to hide the repairs.

"Be careful," Rudy echoed one more time as Steve and Jaime headed out the door and back toward the jungle.

* * *

Oscar's face had drained of all its color as he stared at the thin, crisp file Russ had placed in his hands. The first page told him much more than he'd bargained for. "This is...impossible..." he stammered with quiet fury. "Level Six? He's a _Level Six_? I didn't authorize this!"

"You didn't need to," Russ reminded him. "It happened when -"

"Dammit – I know what happened!" He slammed the offending paper down on his desk. "Do you realize what this means?"

"He could – possibly – know about Jaime's bionics," Russ allowed. "But maybe he doesn't. And even if he _does_ know, that doesn't necessarily mean -"

"It means TROUBLE, because no one bothered to tell me about his change in status!"

"It could have been an oversight," Russ offered meekly.

"You know, I'd almost believe that, if someone hadn't _shot her_! We have to get word to Jaime and to Steve – this could be more dangerous than they realize!"

Russ struggled to keep up as Oscar stormed down to the radio room and keyed up the transmitter. There was nothing on the other end but silence.

* * *

Jaime grabbed Steve's arm and held him back for a moment. "Hang on," she whispered. "I wanna listen first." Steve had found the blood earlier by sheer chance, and she knew it was very unlikely he'd spot it again in the morass of foliage. They were better off looking for _people_. She focused intently on everything around them, doing her best to tune out the monkeys, the birds and the wild animals in favor of more man-made noises. "That way," she said, pointing into the thickest patch of vines. Steve immediately began pulling the stalks apart trying to clear a path. "Uh-uh," Jaime insisted, pulling him in a different direction. "It's clearer this way – more ferns and overhang than stuff that'll trip us. We can make our way around a lot quicker than we could if we try to just barge on through."

"You're the boss," Steve allowed, grinning at her. In spite of the danger and the pressure they were under, she really knew her way around and wasn't afraid to show it. At one point, she stopped suddenly and veered sharply in the opposite direction of the way she'd originally pointed. "Hear something new?" he asked.

"Nope. But a few more yards that way is a nice pit of snakes I don't care to wade through."

Once again, Steve marveled at her sense of calm. Jaime was truly in her element, in a way he'd never seen from her before. After a short distance, she stopped to listen again and motioned him close to her side. "Interpol is still that way...I think," she said (almost inaudibly), pointing in the direction they'd been heading. "But we're going _this_ way."

"What do you hear?" he whispered back.

"Monkeys."

"_Monkeys?_ Sweetheart...um...I'm not sure we need to look for monkeys right now..."

"Shhh! We're _not_!" Jaime listened for another moment, then nodded to herself. "There's someone over there – someone the monkeys don't know – and they're 'talking' about it."

"The monkeys are _talking_?" (Did she maybe have jungle fever? Steve wondered.)

"C'mon. Trust me. And be _quiet_."

Slowly, they parted the vines, smashed through the ferns and brushed away the overhang until they reached a small circle of trees, sprouting high above a patch of tall grass. Sitting on a low branch, trying to avoid the monkeys more than he was trying to avoid any search party, was Ted. It was the first time Jaime had seen him look anything other than puffed up with self-confidence and bravado...and she almost giggled. Except...Frank wasn't with him, and neither was James.

"You can go ahead and jump down," Jaime told him. "They're not gonna hurt you. They're just curious...that's all." Ted looked paralyzed, so Jaime walked over to the tree and gently scattered the monkeys while Steve looked up at Ted.

"Are you hurt?" Steve asked.

"No. Nothing major; just some scrapes and a bruised ego." He eased himself gratefully to the ground.

Jaime turned and looked him over. "We heard more shots," she told him, "and there was blood near the house. He has to check you for weapons."

"That's fine," Ted agreed. "Then can we please get _out_ of here?"

- - - - -


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Ted was 'clean' – he had no weapons. Steve still stuck close to Ted's side as Jaime led both men back to the edge of the jungle. "Take him into the house," she told Steve, "and _wait for me_. I'm going after Interpol."

"I don't think you'll need to do that," Steve said, pointing toward the middle of the clearing. The two Interpol agents were engaged in a lively, somewhat heated discussion in the grass between the house and the river. Steve really wanted to find out what they might have turned up, but he deferred to Jaime; this was _her_ jungle, her case. He was here to aid and assist. "I'll take our friend here inside," he told her.

"Thank you," Jaime affirmed, making her way toward the duo in suits. "What've you got?" she asked.

They looked at her strangely. "And who might you be?" the taller one inquired.

"Jaime Sommers, OSI."

"_You're_ Jaime Sommers? You?"

"My ID's in the house, if you wanna see it."

"Forgive me," the agent chuckled, "but with the name 'Jaime' – and the circumstances involved – we were expecting...well..."

"A man," she finished for them.

"Yes. I apologize. I'm Agent Sikes and my partner is Agent Burrows."

"So...did you find something?" Jaime persisted.

"This," he said, extending a clear plastic bag for her to see. Inside were the leaves and stalk of a low-lying fern...dotted with splotches of blood. "We need to get it to the lab and find out if it's human."

"I think we can safely assume that it is, for now," the shorter agent interjected. "We're needed here – not in a lab in Lima."

"I have very capable help here with me now," Jaime told them, "and that could just as easily be blood from a jaguar or a monkey – or any number of other sources. How long would it take you to find out?"

"Before nightfall."

Jaime showed them her datacom. "Got one of these?"

"Of course."

"If you give it to me, I'll tune in our frequency; then you can radio me with the results as soon as you have them. If we still need you back here, I can tell you then."

The two men looked at each other, obviously not used to taking orders (or even instructions) from a woman. Jaime held out her hand and the shorter man handed over his device. Jaime tuned it quickly and gave it back to him. The two men nodded with grudging respect and turned to go.

"Uh...Gentlemen?" Jaime called to them. They turned. "Thank you." There was no need for any further conversation. They each had a job to do, and Jaime's next task waited in the house...and also in the jungle.

Rudy busied himself with nothing and Steve towered over Ted (whom he'd seated in a chair) while they waited for Jaime. "Shouldn't we be out, looking for the others?" Ted suggested.

"You're better off not talking right now," Steve told him (as neutrally as he could manage). While Ted wasn't a _suspect_, there were two men still missing – with blood patches in the jungle where they'd last been sighted – and he was uninjured. Whether he was truly a suspect or simply a witness (and a witness to what) remained to be seen.

"I sent Sikes and Burrows to process the evidence," Jaime said as she walked in the door. Steve stepped aside to allow her the room to pull a chair up where she could sit facing Ted. "What happened?" she asked in a quiet but very firm voice. "Start from the minute you woke up this morning and go from there."

Ted started to flash one of his almost-patented charm-the-ladies grins...but stopped when he saw that Jaime's eyes were deadly serious. "When I woke up," he began, "James was standing with his ear to the front door – I'm not sure why – and Frank was still asleep. He woke up right after I did, though, because James was swearing up a storm."

"About what?" Jaime asked.

"Said you tricked us – that there weren't really any poachers at all. It was all a test, to see how we'd react, if we could handle the pressure."

"Excuse me?" Jaime countered. "He said _what?_"

"The kid said he heard you talking, that we were all about to flunk the course because we didn't insist on staying in the camp and working through the elements and conditions that were out there."

"You're joking...right?" Jaime was _not_ amused.

"If I'm not laughing, then I'm not joking." Ted shrugged, more relaxed than most people would've been, given the events of the last few hours. "Sounded reasonable at the time. I mean, none of us saw any big cats, much less anybody gunning for 'em, so the kid was making sense."

"Then what happened?" Jaime prodded.

"Frank suggested we just go back to the camp and wait for you there, that you'd figure out we were onto you and you'd find us pretty quick. I didn't see myself being the only one to flunk the course, so I went along with him – but James wouldn't let us out the door. He said the best way for us to prove we _really_ have what it takes would be to duck out the back and cut through the jungle. I...well, I didn't really like that idea, but ol' Frank was already heading for the back window and James sort of nudged me along, as much as a skinny beanpole can nudge anyone. I said I didn't like the idea of making you track us through the jungle just to find us back at the camp on the other side – I mean, you're capable and all, but still..." He paused, but Jaime stayed silent, her eyes demanding more of an answer.

"Alright, so we're all standing in the bedroom and I'm worried about you and James is worried about flunking and Frank said the one thing we _didn't_ need to worry about was you. That you could take care of yourself in the jungle or anywhere else you needed to. I'm not sure what he was rambling on about, because James didn't let him finish. He told us we were running out of time and unless we wanted to be sent back to the States with our tails between our legs, we'd better get moving. Frank suggested leaving a note..."

"But you didn't leave a note," Jaime reminded him.

"No, we didn't. Because that was when James pulled a gun."

- - - - -


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"So you took off out the window and left Jaime to face a man with a gun all by herself?" Steve _had_ to interject.

Ted stared guiltily at the floor. "Yeah, well, we figured we'd come back around the house and warn her, but when we looked James was already there – so we went for help."

"Into the jungle?" Steve asked skeptically.

"We planned to double back but then we got lost...and then we got separated. I turned around and Frank wasn't there anymore."

Jaime leaned in closer. "He didn't say anything, call out for help...nothing?"

Ted shook his head. "Nothing," he echoed. "After that, I was just trying to find my way back out, hoping I'd either find you or Frank – and not run into James first. That's about it."

Jaime turned to look at Steve. "We have to find the others."

"I wish you hadn't let Interpol leave," Steve told her quietly.

"That's two less people I have to baby-sit out there. Besides, we'll cuff him to the chair; he's not gonna go anywhere."

Ted's eyes grew wide. "Cuff me? Why? And what if James comes back while you're gone? Helluva lot of good I can do cuffed to a chair!"

"Interpol issued Rudy a gun," Steve told Jaime. He cuffed Ted's wrists to the chair. "You'll be safer here than out there...believe me."

"So...I'm a suspect now?" Ted asked, pulling at the cuffs that held him firmly.

"Not exactly," Jaime answered, "but until we know what happened, nobody is cleared. Period." She let Rudy know they were leaving (and that he was in charge of Ted) and told him to use the datacom if he needed them. "For _any_ reason," Jaime stressed.

"We'll be fine," Rudy assured her. "How's that 'sprained ankle' feeling?"

"I'm fine," Jaime told him. She grabbed a banana from the counter and handed it to Alfred who was once again waiting just outside the front door.

"Screee!" the monkey said happily.

Steve shook his head...and smiled. "You never cease to amaze me. Lead on, Boss."

"Do you think you can remember where you saw the blood?" Jaime asked. In the dense terrain, it was unlikely they'd find it again, but with nothing else to go on, it was worth a try.

"Well..." Steve thought for a moment. "I didn't take the easy route in – that's for sure."

"Which leaves about 9,827 other possible points of entry," Jaime quipped.

Steve looked around, focusing his eye to find the branches he'd cleared away that morning. It wasn't an easy task. "Over here, I think."

They pushed their way through the leaves, over the roots of a couple of Kapok trees and past the other side of the bed of snakes Jaime had been so wary of.

"How's your leg holding up?" Steve asked.

"Well, since it's still holding _me_ up, I guess it's okay," she told him. "Not gonna be running any marathons, but for now, I'm good."

"So...do you believe him?" Steve wondered as they moved further into the dense foliage.

"Ted?"

"Yeah. Think he's telling the truth?"

Jaime shrugged. "He's a hard one to read," she admitted. "He did the best of the three of them when we first set up camp and I wondered why he needed to be here at all. But seeing him cowering – from a bunch of harmless little monkeys – well, now I'm not so sure."

"They're a wild animal, Sweetheart," Steve reminded her. "Not everyone has had months to spend getting cozy with 'em, you know."

"Well, it's sort of like a dog – or any animal, really – if they sense fear, they're gonna react to it. If they know you're comfortable, then they're comfortable too. That's one of the things I always tell my students on their first day."

"You never really answered my question, you know," Steve pointed out.

"About Ted? I guess it's 'cause I really don't have an answer. I mean, he's the type who could tell you the sky is green and then flash that little-boy smile – and most people would believe him. He sort of reminds me of you."

"Gee, thanks." Steve stopped Jaime from kicking an especially thick vine out of their path. "Better let me," he told her.

"Yeah, Ted's a chauvinist, too," Jaime chuckled.

"I beg your pardon? Just looking out for Rudy's craftsmanship – and your safety."

"Well then, thank you," she agreed. Suddenly, her datacom buzzed, making them both jump. "Rudy?" she answered anxiously.

"Agent Sikes, Ma'am," came the voice on the other end. "We're just a few miles out on the other side of the market and we've located one of your men."

"Which one?"

"James Orland. Shall we take him with us to Lima, or -?"

"No, bring him back to me, please," Jaime requested. "We've already questioned one student, so I'll be interested in hearing first-hand what James has to say. Make sure you check him for weapons; he may be armed."

"Negative, Ma'am. We've already searched him."

"No gun?"

"No gun," Sikes confirmed. "We'll head back in your direction, then. Should take us about an hour."

"Alright. Thank you." Jaime turned to Steve, who had kicked aside the large vine and was now staring at what was just beyond it.

The roots of another Kapok tree intersected with ferns and more vines in every direction, almost hiding the vast amount of blood that was splattered around them. And...something else: beneath the foliage, wedged (and motionless) against the tree and covered with leaves...was Frank.

- - - - -


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Jaime stared down at her student's unmoving form. Steve was already kneeling down to check for a pulse. "Is he...?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Sweetheart."

Jaime sighed sadly and re-keyed the datacom. "Sikes? You still there?"

"We're on our way," the Interpol agent confirmed.

"Well, I need you to send for the coroner; we found the third student. And make sure Mr. Orland is secured. I don't want him taking off again before I can question him."

"We'll take care of it," Sikes promised.

"They'll have to take him out by hand, on a gurney," Jaime told Steve. "There's no way they'll get a vehicle back here. We might as well clear the way."

"You rest; I'll do it."

"Steve, I have a very strong arm and I still have one good leg. We can get it done in half the time if we both work at it. When we're done, I have one other thing I'd like to follow up on before Interpol gets back with James."

"You're the boss," he re-affirmed.

"If we clear the vines in a reasonable path, they can push the ferns and the overhang out of the way with nothing to trip them up," Jaime instructed. Steve nodded and they got to work.

When they'd worked their way out of the jungle in a straight line, Steve was surprised to find they were about a half mile away from the house – in the opposite direction from the road. The river was much closer here, and very shallow.

"Perfect," Jaime told him. "Just what I thought. How are we for time?"

Steve glanced at his watch, still set on DC time. "About 20 minutes."

"Let's go."

"Ah...ya lost me, Sweetheart. Go _where?_"

"Across!" Jaime answered, like it was the most natural assumption in the world.

They walked to the water's edge...and Steve stopped short. You could see the bottom clearly (through about a foot of water) and there was something else: _piranhas_. "Maybe crossing isn't such a great idea..." he suggested.

Jaime had to laugh. "If your ankles were flesh and blood, I'd agree with you. I guarantee – you'll be alright."

Steve wasn't so sure. "Do you think you should – I mean, with your leg...?"

"It's _shallow_! Oh, okay. Watch this!" Jaime stepped into the water and stood unmoving in the middle of the river's bend. The fish swam all around her in little flashes of silver and red, but took no notice of her legs or feet. "Now c'mon, before Interpol gets here."

Steve took one more look at the cannibal fish, then focused his eyes on the bank on the other side and swiftly crossed the water. Then he smiled with relief and held out his hand to help Jaime onto the shore.

"We came out in exactly the right spot – it isn't far," she told him.

"What isn't?"

"You'll see. This is called trusting my gut." She moved quickly into the rainforest and found what she was looking for right away. Her stomach reminded her that neither one of them had eaten all day, and she reached up and plucked two apples from the cashew tree, handing one to Steve. He looked at it doubtfully. "It's a cashew apple," she told him.

"Doesn't look like something meant for human consumption."

"That's ridiculous," she said, already halfway finished with hers. "Just try it."

Steve took a small nibble...then a bite...then a bigger bite. Jaime smiled at him, then headed around to the base of the tree on its opposite side, where she nudged the ground gently with her toe. "Bingo!" she said triumphantly.

"You know," Steve said, joining her, "this isn't half bad." He looked down to where Jaime was pointing. "You found...dirt?"

Jaime yanked a large frond off of a nearby fern and used it to pick up her 'find'. "Nope – I found the gun. Let's go."

"Impressive. _Very_ impressive. How'd you know where to look?"

"There was this astronaut fellow once who told me to always follow my instinct. I guess I listened to him."

"Have I told you just how amazing you are?"

"Yep – but you can always tell me again. After we meet with Interpol...and with James."

"So what does your gut tell you about the rest of this?" Steve asked as they crossed the river and headed toward the clearing.

"My gut is reserving judgment until we hear the other side of the story."

"Very wise."

"I know." Jaime stopped and looked straight into Steve's eyes. "What do _you_ think, just walking into this from the outside?"

"Ted is either a liar...or a fool," Steve said softly. Jaime raised a questioning eyebrow, so Steve explained. "If he _is_ telling the truth, what kind of man leaves a woman – even an intelligent and extremely capable woman – alone to face a gunman? Never in a million years..."

"You're not Ted," Jaime reminded him.

"He's a trained agent, for God's sake. There's no excuse. None."

"Everybody reacts differently when they're facing the barrel of a gun; I can't fault him for that," Jaime said quietly.

"I can." He stopped at the front door of the house. Interpol was just beginning to break through the edge of the jungle into the clearing. "Something just occurred to me, when I called you capable," he said. "You mind if I ask old Ted one more question of my own? You can supervise, if you want."

"Let's do it quick. Our other suspect is almost here."

They stepped into the house, where Rudy was having a sandwich and Ted was glowering in his chair. When he saw Jaime, he tried to turn on what was left of his charm. "Couldn't get enough of me, huh?" he quipped (with just a hint of a smile).

Steve stepped forward. "You told us that Frank was talking about how Jaime was fully capable of defending herself. What exactly was he talking about? And don't tell me you don't know."

- - - - -


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"I'm not sure what you mean," Ted hedged.

Steve leaned even closer; his was voice steady, quiet and white-hot with anger. "You know exactly what I mean," he hissed. "You said Jaime was fully capable of taking care of herself – without your help – and I'd like to know _precisely_ why you said that."

"I _didn't_ say it," Ted answered simply. "Frank did."

Jaime quickly pulled Steve a step or two back from Ted's chair, sensing (correctly) that Steve was close to losing it. "Alright," Steve continued after a deep breath, "what did _Frank_ mean by that?"

Ted shrugged. "Exactly what it sounds like, probably. She's smart, she knows the jungle well and she's a fully-trained operative. Any other questions?"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Interpol – and Burrows poked his head inside. "I'm guessing you don't want the other one in here?" he asked.

"We'll be right out," Jaime answered.

"You got lucky...for now," Steve told Ted.

"You need to calm down," Jaime whispered to Steve once they were outside.

"I'm sorry...but when it's a question of _your_ safety..." he wandered a few feet away to collect himself.

Interpol had James cuffed and the cuffs attached to a belly chain. "You can take the chain off," Jaime told them, "but leave him cuffed."

The two agents did as she asked then helped James to sit down in the grass. "Stretcher should be here within the hour," Sikes told them. "We'll take charge of your other student for now – but call if you need us." He and his partner headed into the house.

"Thank you," James told Jaime (looking very much like the very _young_ man that he was). "I'm not planning to run. You'd catch me in mere seconds, anyway."

"Didn't your file say you lettered in track?" Jaime asked. "What makes you think I could catch you?"

James lowered his voice. "I know you're bionic. I'd studied physics and chemistry – and all the sciences – at Harvard, and we looked at potential bionic theories...but to see in print that it was actually a reality was thrilling."

"Excuse me?" Jaime was _very_ glad Steve hadn't rejoined them yet. It took her a few seconds to regain her own composure. "Are you telling me you stole confidential files?"

"No," he answered, clearly frightened but meeting her gaze directly. "I just read them. Once I started, I couldn't stop. It was fascinating! Rudy Wells is nothing short of a genius!"

"But that's Level Six information."

James nodded. "I'm a Level Six."

"James, you're twenty-five years old! You're the youngest new agent Oscar has ever hired. Besides, your file says you're a Level Five." Jaime touched Steve's hand in acknowledgment as she felt him sit down beside her...but her entire focus was on James.

"One of the mucky-mucks in a corner office decided that with my training, they could use me at White Sands' testing facility, in between assignments and -"

"And White Sands is classified Level Six," Jaime finished for him. "That's why you were given access to the OSI's science vaults."

"Exactly," James confirmed.

"Wait a minute," Steve interjected. "Level Six...White Sands...the science vaults? Are you saying he _knows?_"

Jaime nodded. "Yup." She turned toward James again. "So you came here...why?"

"Armed with a gun!" Steve added.

"I never had a gun," James insisted.

Steve was livid. "You thought you could get her alone in the jungle and then..._sell_ her – is that it?"

"Of course not!" James retorted. "I didn't ask to come here; Mr. Goldman sent me. He didn't know about White Sands because the decision just came down the night before I got on the plane."

"You did an awful lot of reading for just one night," Jaime pointed out.

"What can I tell you? Science is my passion...and you learn to speed read pretty quickly at Harvard."

Steve frowned. "So Oscar doesn't know any of this?"

"He probably does by now. It depends how long it takes him to go through his inbox."

"We'll need to call him," Steve announced.

"As soon as James tells us his version of what happened today," Jaime reminded them both. "And this time I want details – not the Reader's Digest Condensed version."

"I woke up first, when I heard you go outside. So I got up and went to see what was going on, but that was when Ted sat up – and he poked Frank awake, too. Ted started ranting about how stupid it was that we'd had to abandon camp – that it was probably a test to see what our reactions would be."

"Ted said that?" Jaime clarified.

"Yes, he did. Then Frank agreed with him and said if that was the case, then all three of us flunked by spending the night on mats under a roof."

"What'd _you_ say?" Steve probed. "Did you agree with them?"

"Hell, no! I mean, how stupid! Jaime – Miss Sommers – brought us here for our own safety, not to trick us. They were saying they should sneak out the back way and head for the camp, to try and keep from flunking. I said...well, I told them they were idiots and that there was no way I was just going to abandon her when there were potential predators on the loose. They looked at me like I'd just lost my last marble, like I was spouting gibberish! Then they headed out the bedroom window and told me to enjoy flunking, all by myself."

"What about the gun?" Jaime asked.

"I didn't see any gun. I helped search for the others until you got here, Colonel. Then while you were talking to Miss Sommers, I saw the bushes rustle behind the house, so I ran after them; it had to be Frank and Ted."

"And then who had the gun?" Jaime probed.

"I swear I never saw a gun! Somebody grabbed me from behind and pulled me into the jungle – that's when I called for you. Then something hit me in the head – _hard_ – and that's all I remember until I woke up and headed toward the road for help."

"Two diametrically opposed stories," Steve said with unhidden disdain.

"Maybe," Jaime agreed, "but there's an easy way to see who's telling the truth. Go get Ted for me, would you please?"

Steve looked at her curiously but did as she asked. When Steve and Ted were both seated in the grass near James and Jaime...Jaime smiled.

"Alright, gentlemen," she said, "let's roll up your pant legs."

- - - - -


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Now why would you need to do that?" Ted asked with one of his patented easy-going grins. "You've already searched us for weapons. What good will it possibly do? I mean, I do have decent legs, but..."

"Be quiet," Steve told him. Since Ted was still cuffed, Steve rolled Ted's pant legs up to his knees.

Jaime took a quick but studied look and then – with a sinking heart – rolled up the legs of James' pants. She didn't even have to go to mid-shin to see what she'd hoped she wouldn't find. "Oh, James..." she sighed, shaking her head sadly. "Why?"

"Why what?" James asked. "Why'd I walk through poison ivy...or poison oak? Who knows? Just lucky, I guess."

"James, these are piranha bites," Jaime said, very quietly. Steve leaned in closer, fascinated; she was obviously onto something, but he hadn't quite pieced it together yet.

James shrugged. "Must've gotten them last night, when you evacuated the camp."

"Sorry, Buddy – I checked that water myself before I let you cross. It was safe."

"Insects?" he tried again.

"_Piranhas_," Jaime said firmly. "When Steve and I were by the river today, we saw bunches of them. They weren't just schooling – they were _swarming_. They did that because there was blood in the water...a fresh 'feed' for them, within the last couple of hours. You crossed the river to bury the gun before you headed toward the road."

"You can't prove that," James snapped.

"I just did," Jaime told him.

"I want to speak to a lawyer before I let you accuse me of anything. I have rights."

Jaime nodded. "You certainly do. But you see, you're not under arrest – not yet. You're simply in OSI custody, pending a murder investigation."

"Nobody was supposed to die," James said softly.

"What the _hell_ did you think would happen?" Steve spat angrily. "Running around the jungle, firing a weapon -"

Jaime put a gentle hand on Steve's arm. "Why don't you un-cuff Ted and take him in the house?" she suggested. "I'm sure he could use a cup of coffee...and I think James and I would do better talking one-on-one."

Steve glowered at James...but did as Jaime requested. James stared silently at the ground; Jaime could tell his mind was whirring at 100 miles per hour. "Now," she said gently (almost as if talking to a small child), "why don't you tell me what _really_ happened?"

"Nobody was even supposed to get hurt..." James told her. "I never meant to shoot Frank – or anybody. Well...except for the hole in your leg. I meant to do that. Pretty decent aim, huh?"

"You did that on purpose?"

"Yes – I knew it wouldn't hurt you, physically, and I was hoping it would knock you down so...so I could sedate you and..." his voice trailed off.

"Steve was right; you wanted to sell me."

"God, no!" James protested. "I wanted to _study_ you!" Jaime stayed silent, hoping he had more to say. He did. "You'd have been none the worse for wear when I was finished – at least as soon as the sedative wore off. This was supposed to be just a stupid jungle training course, but when I got a look at those files – when I read everything that Rudy Wells had accomplished – it was like the golden goose laid an egg right into my lap! How could I pass up an opportunity that would likely never present itself again?"

"By doing what you were assigned to do and maybe one day getting to work with Rudy yourself...?" Jaime had to mutter. "That might've worked. This didn't. Frank is _dead_, James!"

"It was an accident," James admitted. "When that bullet to your leg didn't take you down, I went back behind the house where I'd hidden the gun and I was going to...well...I was going to shoot your other leg, but Frank was there, just coming out of the vines – and he pulled me in. We fought – I yelled for you – and when he yanked me further in, toward the trees, the gun went off. It happened so fast...just a few seconds...but then there was nothing I could do. He was just...gone."

"That tends to happen when you fire a gun, James," Jaime told him.

"But it wasn't _supposed_ to happen! I – I had everything planned so perfectly..." James' face turned pale and his eyes grew distant. "Nobody was going to get hurt..." he repeated.

Jaime felt a hand on her shoulder. She'd been so absorbed in what James was saying that she hadn't heard Steve come back out of the house. "I thought you might need a witness," he said. "And I heard just enough."

"We need Interpol out here," Jaime confirmed. "And a plane back to the States. Oscar's gonna want a word or two with his newest recruit."

- - - - -


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Steve had one hand on the doorknob when he _had_ to turn around. "There's something I just don't get," he said, returning to James. "You had everything going for you – _everything_ - a great career...and a promotion before you'd even spent your first real day on the job! You had a brilliant future all lined up. At the rate you were going, in another year or two, you could've been working with Rudy Wells and gotten everything you wanted – legitimately! Why would you throw all that away?"

"Why should I wait 'another year or two' when I could gain that knowledge _right now_?" James countered. "How was I supposed to know that Frank would try to play the hero card?"

Steve sat back down. Once Interpol had him under arrest, James would demand a lawyer before he said another word. At the moment, he was talking freely. No point in wasting it. Since Steve seemed less angry (for the time being), Jaime let him go to it. "Okay," Steve allowed, "even if we left Frank out of the equation – which we can't do because we're talking _murder_ -"

"Manslaughter," James argued calmly.

"Even so, we're still talking about the attempted murder of a Federal agent," Steve pointed out.

"Not true; my intention was never to hurt her."

"_You fired a __**gun**__ at her!_"

"I fired a gun at an extraordinary piece of equipment – not at flesh and blood," James answered.

"Are you insane?" Steve sputtered. "Because for someone with a genius IQ..."

"James, how old were you when you graduated from high school?" Jaime asked.

"I don't think that has much to do with anything right now," Steve told her gently.

"Well, I do. How old, James?"

"Sixteen," James answered. "Well, fifteen and ten months."

"Yeah; I thought so," Jaime confirmed. "And college?"

"Almost twenty...but it was a double major," James told her. "Since then, I finished my Master's and...well, you know the rest."

Jaime nodded. "Why the hurry, James? Who was rushing you?"

Steve looked at her questioningly but she was obviously leading up to something, so he didn't interrupt.

"My parents – at first," James admitted. "But for a long time now, it's just been me."

"Internal pressure can be the worst kind," Jaime agreed. "There's nowhere you can go to shut it off."

"Exactly. And if I don't keep going, if I don't keep improving myself and gaining more knowledge...well, then I'll stagnate. Working with Rudy Wells sometime in the future was like the ultimate brass ring. There...but out of my reach."

"Only temporarily," Steve pointed out.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," Jaime said softly.

"You _do_ understand, then," James remarked.

"You've spent your whole life hurrying to cram in as much as possible," Jaime commiserated. "And most of it seemed effortless; as long as you went for it, you got it. After all of that, it's hard to slow down and wait."

"Yeah...it is," James agreed. "For me, it's impossible."

Steve was just about to remark that now James would have plenty of time to learn to slow down – but Agent Sikes opened the front door and called out to Jaime.

"Ma'am, the crate in your bedroom is demanding to speak with you. I'm assuming it's your radio."

Steve and Jaime looked at each other. "Oscar," they said in near-perfect unison. "I think we're about done for now," Jaime added, nodding toward James. "You'll be wanting to take him into custody, transferable to the US."

Sikes and Burrows took charge of James so Jaime could answer her still-squawking radio. "Hi, Oscar," she answered (almost meekly).

"Jaime, I just got off the phone with Interpol in Lima. They said you requested a coroner. _A coroner?_ What's going on down there?"

"We...lost Frank," Jaime told him. "Oscar, we need transport back to the States – preferably tonight – for Steve, Rudy, Ted and myself. Also a secure transport for James; he'll be under arrest."

"Already?"

"Got a confession." She smiled wanly at Steve, as the realization hit her of exactly how much had happened in just 24 hours. When she had finished giving Oscar the 'Readers Digest Condensed Version', she began preparing the house to sit empty again while she returned to 'normal life'. Ted – having had quite enough of the jungle - started back for Lima with Interpol (and James), but Steve and Rudy stayed to help Jaime pack.

"Poor Frank," Jaime sighed, putting locks on the cupboards. "He was trying to stop James from shooting me..."

Steve wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "I know it's not really any consolation, but I'm sure they'll be a medal in it -"

"For his widow?" Jaime shook her head. "It's just so sad. And Oscar will probably have to shut down the program now."

"I won't let that happen," Steve told her.

"You can't make that promise..."

"Sweetheart, I've seen you in action out here; you know your stuff – forward, backward and sideways." He kissed her cheek. "Maybe even diagonally."

"_Diagonally?_"

"Gotcha to smile, didn't I?"

**END**


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